Concerns VCAT fee hikes hurt access to justice

The impact of VCAT fees on access to justice has been questioned, with statistics revealing a significant drop in the number of applications following fee increases. Last financial year, fees for consumer cases increased from $39 to $132, and the number of applications fell by 15%. Gerard Brody of the Consumer Law Action Centre said, “VCAT was created as an alternative to the mainstream court system [and] we are concerned that it remain a low-cost accessible tribunal, rather than becoming more court-like. If the claim is less than a couple of thousand dollars then you might think the fee, together with the time involved with having to go to VCAT, is not worth the effort.” The fee to lodge a planning dispute was increased from “$322 with no daily charges” to “$805, with daily fees of up to $1462″—and in the following year, the number of applications fell by 35%. VCAT said this was partly explained by changes to planning laws making it easier to amend planning permits without going to VCAT, but barrister Michelle Quigley QC warned, “it’s not just a one-off fee now—it’s a daily fee. Ordinary people just can’t afford it. It’s contrary to access to justice.”